Yamaguchi City Management Improvement Support Subsidy

(1) Overview: The Yamaguchi City Management Improvement Support Subsidy supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located within Yamaguchi City by subsidizing the out-of-pocket costs paid to certified management innovation support institutions for preparing a 'Management Improvement Plan' (including the early management improvement plan) and for ongoing monitoring of that plan. The program is administered by the Furusato Industry Promotion Division, Commerce and Labor Section of Yamaguchi City, and is governed by the subsidy regulations originally enacted in 2015 and most recently amended on 1 April 2026. (2) Eligible Applicants: SMEs whose principal business establishment is located in Yamaguchi City and that fall under the SME Basic Act Article 2, SME organisations under the SME Organisation Act Article 3 Paragraph 1, and other entities the mayor deems appropriate. Applicants must have no delinquent municipal taxes and must work with a certified management innovation support institution. (3) Eligible Expenses and Support Content: Two project categories are supported: (i) preparation of a Management Improvement Plan (including early plan), and (ii) monitoring of the plan by a certified support institution. Eligible expenses are the self-borne costs (excluding consumption tax) net of any subsidies received from the Prefectural SME Revitalisation Council or the Credit Guarantee Association. (4) Subsidy Rate / Cap / Schedule / Application Tips: Subsidy rate is one-half of eligible expenses for both categories. The cap per project is JPY 100,000 for plan preparation and JPY 200,000 for monitoring (amounts below 100 yen rounded down). Applications must be filed by whichever is earlier: 30 days after payment to the support institution or 31 March of the fiscal year. Forms (Sample No.1) and attachments are submitted in PDF via e-mail to furu@city.yamaguchi.lg.jp (no seal/signature required); max attachment size 3MB. Agreeing to a tax inquiry waives the need to submit a 'no delinquent tax' certificate (approx. 2 weeks for decision).